Diaper Bag!

If you were a peeping tom, you would possibly see me prancing around my house (by myself) with this strapped to my back! Can a mom-to-be be more excited about a bag than a baby? I mean I'm not...just wondering...

Might as well be a bullseye...

As with every new experience, there is just so much about pregnancy that I never knew about or could even dream up until I started going through it myself. I used to read articles and blogs and watch movies and you hear about the basics: bigger boobs, stretch marks, fatigue, back pain, etc. And even some of the less popular topics: that black line that runs down your tummy, feet swelling, outie belly button and saggy boobs (yeah, don't be fooled that "bigger boobs" mean perfectly shaped & lots of cleavage. Pssh). But there is just so much more wackiness that you don't hear about. I thought it best to include this article so that I don't have to tell you myself - don't worry not ALL women have ALL symptoms - some of these I just don't experience (yet)...but I'm including it b/c my biggest surprise made it as #1 in this article! It's just strange how tender my belly button is! And it wouldn't be such a big deal if Shelby wasn't climbing on me (I'm a big failure with that training I planned) or if I didn't have people POKING AT IT! Yes, friends, family and strangers, I had someone poke my belly button last night at a wedding and I thought I might die. Of course, I'm sure they don't know about this secret pregnancy symptom either, right?! And it's my fault for wearing a dress where the fleur de lis-like print was perfectly centered on my big belly (difficult-to-see pic below). Might as well have been a bullseye! So, I'm not mad at all just want to put it out there: a) don't poke at the prego and b) you just wait, when it's your turn I may just poke back ;-)

Next shocking revelation....restless leg syndrome. Not even kidding. I'll post about that after you have fully digested this post...

Hello Week 27!

Boy, do you feel HUGE! As I sit on the couch typing this on my laptop, I can't help but feel beached! You may be thinking "You haven't felt anything yet!"....and I'm terrified that you are right! I can't eat the same amount of food that I used to but it's as though my brain and eyes haven't figured that out yet. So, here I sit after Mooyah Burger absolutely miserable and uncomfortable.

I'm having a fun day so far! The weather is gorgeous and I'm wearing a spring dress and cardigan! Spring is FINALLY here! (even though the high tomorrow is only 61). After a very productive morning of running errands, I'm now listening to my parents plot their Frisco property search at the breakfast table for this afternoon :-) They are so funny to listen to and I'm just going to be along for the ride. I still can't believe they are moving here! Most people know that I love nothing more than (well, besides my family) shopping for homes! I love real estate and look at homes even when I'm not in the market so this is double-exciting for me!

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

If I ran this house...

I would be refreshing plenty of our decor inspired by this great Spring weather! I have my eye on a ton of things, from area rugs to bedroom sets (remember, I dream about a king bed)....but don't worry, I know it's not practical with a baby on the way and all. But these are some of the smaller things that I would purchase. Beau has already threatened to move out so because I can't purchase, I will share them here. A space that I do run! ;-)

Who wouldn't want these pillows?! Um, Beau.

And this shower curtain...precious! I just can't get enough of ruffles. As you can tell. They also make this in curtains and a bedspread....a Ruffle Trifecta!

This is one that I think I can manage. I see it going over the breakfast table and it helps that Beau hates the light fixture that came with the house. I've gotten the "nod" on this one, which is a much better sign than the "shaking head" or the "walking away" or the ultimate NO, which is a combination of these. :-)

I would do a pair of these chairs in the living room with a solid cream couch. BUT, I do agree with Beau that comfort is first so alas, loving them from afar will have to do. Plus, I'm no fool. A cream couch only works in movies where they don't have dogs. Or babies. Or husbands who spill.

And there you have it. In my dream Spring home, tons of creams with punches of colors like navy blue and yellow.

26 Week Update (or All Ears)

Depending on who you believe, I have 1 or 2 weeks left until my 3rd trimester! Babycenter says 2 weeks, my trusted book says next week marks the big moment. In any case, I just have it stuck in my head that feeling REALLY uncomfortable, tired and huge will hit day 1 like clockwork. Similar to all the first/second trimester transition stories I have heard - how headaches and nausea for others just suddenly stopped as they went into their 13th week - this is how I picture changes to the third. I just love how I've been feeling - I don't want it to come to an end! Oh well, I'm already feeling bigger than ever in the hips so bring it on!

P.S. I can't even imagine this baby moving any more or harder than he does now! I know it's coming but he needs to go easy on me. Isn't there a term for women who are hopelessly in love with their abuser? That's me ;-)

How your baby's growing:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Whoa! Some fruit comparison expert was feeling a little adventurous when they came up with the 26th fruit! An English Hothouse Cucumber?! Fun!

Here's another treat for you - an update on what we suspect Baby Gray looks like. Funny, he doesn't LOOK like a boxer.....

Beau Gets A Promeaution

How exciting, right?! Especially since it wasn't one of those "wait for it.....wait for it...." ones, it was actually a pleasant surprise. No doubt he deserves it & we both knew this was going to be the next step soon but we just expected the company to take a little while, as many of them do with these things. So props to Palladium Group for taking care of their people! He is now a Senior Consultant - I am so proud of him! We both have no regrets that he declined the position at Ernst & Young and remained with this company. They are so good to him! Now if we can just get him out of El Dorado, Arkansas and back in a city where Applebee's isn't THE restaurant in town ;-)

On that note, small rant....why do companies as large as Murphy Oil and Walmart keep their headquarters in such small, inconvenient-to-everything towns?! I mean, way to be loyal to your peeps but my goodness the inefficiencies with travel and like things. Oh well, if I ever own such a company I will base it out of Tahiti so who am I to judge. 

Love you Beaubs!!!

Glass Half Full

I came home Monday from work to the guest side of the house in standing water! The water heater busted and water ran into the utility room, 2nd bedroom, guest bathroom and hallway damaging our floors, rugs and some baseboards and possibly portions of the walls. In the grand scheme of things, it really isn't as bad as say a fire or a massive flood of the city where houses are in like 4 feet of standing water. It has been more of a nuisance than anything since I have been in a hotel for a week with the dogs while 18 huge fans ran day in and day out this week to dry that side of the house. They were SO loud! We really are in a good place with everything and feel so lucky that the nursery was saved!! The whole guest side of the house was wet EXCEPT that room! (Cheers to an un-level house ;-)) Thank goodness since we have all of our baby gear sitting on the floor and all the furniture up. Not to mention, if they had to tear down those beautiful green walls I have agonized over, I would not have been happy!

Here's a little taste of what went down Monday night. Beau was out of town so I called him to tell him the news. The neighbors were all on vacation for Spring Break and I don't know how to turn water off (uh, golden key that goes into the ground by the street, what??) so Beau calls back to tell me that the FIRE DEPT. is on their way! All this while I hear sirens approaching the house. Mortified. 2 trucks pulled up and 6 firemen piled out and really treated it as an emergency! It was crazy but they were wonderful! Really took care of our things (vision of a fireman carrying my wedding dress to safety flashes in my head a lot), did a great job of getting all the water out of the house, moved furniture to dry it, and even backed the car out of the garage so that the guys could begin carrying wet items out to dry. SO sweet! I never even knew they did this stuff!

Shelby and Brinkley enjoyed the hotel. I mean, how could they not? It's like a second home after the lightning strike just 10 short months ago! We are back in the house today, new water heater installed and Beau will begin working with the insurance company (don't you know they love us) and a contractor for the floors and walls on Monday. My biggest heartbreak and nervous point is tearing up these beautiful floors and matching new floors to the rest of the house. I can't imagine that going well! 

Oh well, we are so lucky - this could have been so much worse! The glass really is half full around here....half full of murky, stagnant water ;-)

Beau Knows Baseball

Do you know how giddy I am that a) I can use this well-known Nike campaign slogan as my headline, b) that it's actually relevant and c) that I thought of it ALL on my own?! I know, I know. It's too much. 

We have had a gorgeous Dallas weekend (yes, Spring!) and today was a perfect day for Beau to have his first baseball game of the season! This was my first time to go to one (hello, they're in Irving) so I loaded up Brinkley, filled up the gas tank and made my way to Irving via 4 different highways. It was great to see Beau doing what he loves! He was pitching and just happens to be a great batter. I always have to grin when I see the outfield back up when they see Beau walking up to the plate. :-) (I know I said this was my first one but I've been to plenty of his softball games). I think I may take the nice camera out next time to get some good shots - this is on the Blackberry. Isn't he CUTE?!  Brinkley and I only stayed for the first game of the double-header since he wouldn't stop bothering me about a McDonald's chocolate shake and fries...so I HAD to stop for him. High maintenance doggie....

Beau knows how to pitch AND how to get hit. He came home with 2 welts and you can see the stitching from the ball on his skin. Eeww.

25 Weeks

I am 25 weeks now and still feeling great! No real news to report - I still feel comfortable and "cute" pregnant, not huge or fat or uncomfortable pregnant. I know it's only a matter of time until this is no longer the case. The baby is moving more than ever! Not just the morning and evening times anymore. I was in a meeting in our COO's office this past week when Grayson moved so hard and so suddenly that I noticeably twitched in my chair. While some people noticed, no one really called me out on it. :) This kind of movement is happening more and more and Beau has been able to pretty much put his hand on my stomach at any point in the day and feel his little boy moving :-) It's really cool and very reassuring. 

How excited is everyone about THESE?! Grayson's first BOOTS! I am tickled about this little purchase. I don't see Beau and I buying a lot of shoes in the beginning and we are stopping here for now. But after 1 1/2 weeks of leaving them up on my laptop and not being able to stop thinking about them, they now belong to Baby Gray - the last pair and they are real leather. :-)

 

 

 

 

 

How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

I like to call this Progress!

Beau and I woke up early both Saturday and Sunday this weekend and my what a difference it makes! Not only did we wake up early but we got out of bed early too! That's always the trick. We certainly are pros at laying around, hanging with the doggies in bed. We were so productive and back home from running errands by 11am both days! What?! That's when we are usually wandering in to the kitchen to make breakfast. I would say that we are just taking advantage before the baby comes but that's not true. We have always done that ;-)

Saturday - Beau painted the middle section of the wall (I know!) and it's finished!! I'm just happy to have that off our plates. Then, we went to get the furniture from Lone Star Baby. They have only called FOUR times to tell us to come get it. Geez. Like it's not a priority of ours? Buying furniture of any kind is exciting and major so if we haven't come to get it yet, you can bet there is a REASON! Like wall paint. Anyway, this is what our living room looked like by 11 yesterday morning while the paint dried....

Then, by the end of the day we Beau had the furniture assembled and the boxes cleared out....

I would show you the dresser but the Espresso just doesn't photograph well and it looks like a black box in the picture

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We also made a little trip over to Babies-R-Us to get our car seat. We went in wanting the gray/black one and came out with this one. But, I like it. and maybe it won' get as hot as the black one. Seeing that little tiny area made it all more real! Our baby will fit in there in 4 months! :-)

So, had we laid in bed until almost noon, we wouldn't have made such progress. AND we also went to a friend's house for lunch, I had patio time and dinner with my girls and Beau went to the car show and dinner with his buddies. Oh, and Starbucks in the morning with the doggies. Such a productive day!

Sunday - Not as much to report. Babies-R-Us in the morning (went in looking for tummy lotion and came out with the most precious $8 2-piece outfit!), breakfast at a local Kolache place and Wal-Mart for groceries. We don't typically shop here but will begin doing so. We were shocked at how much we saved! If you can deal with the obnoxious crowds....really?! The entire family of 7 needs to go to the store AND hover in the same aisle together?! What's the point? SO annoying. Now, we are back home watching movies & doing laundry and will cook dinner later. But still, it's only 3:45 and we are on our second movie! So crazy.

24 Week Update (or A Foot Long)

Shelby and Grayson may be the same length at this point and can both be considered foot longs! ;-) Anyway, I officially look pregnant and strangers aren't as scared to ask me if I'm pregnant. They also aren't afraid to STARE. I feel like a spectacle. Mainly b/c the stares aren't matched with joyous smiles but flat, stone-cold faces. I can forgive the children and men but what's up with women staring at me like that? Aren't we supposed to be some sisterhood of reproducers? Makes me wonder if I stared at pregos with a look of discomfort - no doubt, I was thinking it....And don't say that it's in my head b/c it's not! Beau has noticed it too.:)

Shelby is struggling with finding a new way to sleep on me on the couch. Gone are the days where she could lay on my stomach but it's not for the lack of effort! Poor girl. She's not happy. She actually tries to drape her body over the top of my belly - uncomfortable for both of us :-)

How your baby's growing:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

 

23 Week Update (or Tiny Dancer)

I'm hoping the rest of my weeks fly by the way 22 did! 21 took forever - both personally and professionally. I can tell I'm getting bigger and bigger and last night I actually felt sorry for my stomach skin for the first time. It just looked so tight and thin (and veiney). I just know it will never be the same. It's getting more and more itchy and my muscles are feeling so stretched and uncomfortable. I know, this isn't even the beginning of discomfort! I had a bout of "Should I go to the E.R.?" gas pains Saturday night. My. Goodness. There aren't words. I got some Spring time maternity clothes this weekend! I'M READY FOR SPRING! Who do I need to talk to to get this season moving along?! Jebus. Happy 23rd week, Grayson!

Below is the update and a bonus animation of what this little somethin' looks like right about now...

How your baby's growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.